Paloma Pedrero
Encyclopedia
Paloma Pedrero in Madrid
, is a Spanish
actress, theatre director and playwright
.
at Madrid
's Universidad Complutense before becoming involved in the reestablishment of Madrid's theater scene following the death
of Franco
as a member of the Cachivache theater group. Her first play
, La llamada de Lauren, in which she also played the role of Rosa, was staged in 1985.
Since then she has written much more material, acted both on the stage and on television
, and directed productions of her own works. She has also cultivated a prolific career as a conference speaker and essay
ist.
Paloma Pedrero won the 1987 Premio Tirso de Molina for Invierno de luna alegre.
-comedies
that explore questions of identity, the subversion of gender
roles, and the nature of individual
freedom in postmodern society, based around a neorealist
model.
Her typical plot is structured simply (many works have only one scene) and the timeframe is seldom of any extended duration. The scenes dramatized are ones of daily life and the characters are reasonably familiar; they are, Pedrero writes in her monograph
Sobre mi teatro, "historias que nacen de mi experiencia en algunos casos y de la observación en otros" ("stories that arise from my own experiences in some cases and from observation on others"). This succinct, extremely focused writing style and realistic treatment of plot structure are exemplified by the series of one-act plays that make up Noches de amor efímero; each dramatizes a brief nighttime encounter between a man and a woman as a result of which their lives are profoundly changed. The action takes place in real time over the course of the few minutes that each play takes to stage.
Pedrero's settings are everyday locations, predominantly urban
and always familiar, whether the apartment of La llamada de Lauren, the metro
station
of Solos esta noche or the park of La noche que ilumina. "Busco, generalmente, escenarios simples" ("I generally look for simple settings"), writes Pedrero, "me gusta la calle, los parques, los bares, los metros, las habitaciones del hotel, las estaciones... escenarios teatrales que no necesitan de grandes aparatos ni parafenalias" ("I like the street, parks, bars, the metro, hotel rooms, stations... dramatic settings that don't need complex apparatus or paraphernalia"). Though settings often have important symbol
ic impact within each play (for instance, the enclosed, limited space of the apartment in La llamada de Lauren is starkly contrasted with the freedom of the carnival
going on in the street outside) they are inevitably handled in a realist aesthetic.
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, is a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
actress, theatre director and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
.
Life
Spanish playwright, Paloma Pedrero studied SociologySociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
's Universidad Complutense before becoming involved in the reestablishment of Madrid's theater scene following the death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
of Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
as a member of the Cachivache theater group. Her first play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
, La llamada de Lauren, in which she also played the role of Rosa, was staged in 1985.
Since then she has written much more material, acted both on the stage and on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, and directed productions of her own works. She has also cultivated a prolific career as a conference speaker and essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
ist.
Paloma Pedrero won the 1987 Premio Tirso de Molina for Invierno de luna alegre.
Work
Pedrero's plays are, for the most part, short quasiQuasi
Quasi is an American indie rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1993 by ex-husband and wife Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss . Since 2007 the group has been a trio, following the addition of bassist Joanna Bolme.-History:In 1990 , Coomes, Weiss, and Brad Pedinov formed the band Motorgoat...
-comedies
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
that explore questions of identity, the subversion of gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
roles, and the nature of individual
Individualism
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses "the moral worth of the individual". Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and so value independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one's own...
freedom in postmodern society, based around a neorealist
Neorealism (art)
In art, neorealism was established by the ex-Camden Town Group painters Charles Ginner and Harold Gilman at the beginning of World War I. They set out to explore the spirit of their age through the shapes and colours of daily life...
model.
Her typical plot is structured simply (many works have only one scene) and the timeframe is seldom of any extended duration. The scenes dramatized are ones of daily life and the characters are reasonably familiar; they are, Pedrero writes in her monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
Sobre mi teatro, "historias que nacen de mi experiencia en algunos casos y de la observación en otros" ("stories that arise from my own experiences in some cases and from observation on others"). This succinct, extremely focused writing style and realistic treatment of plot structure are exemplified by the series of one-act plays that make up Noches de amor efímero; each dramatizes a brief nighttime encounter between a man and a woman as a result of which their lives are profoundly changed. The action takes place in real time over the course of the few minutes that each play takes to stage.
Pedrero's settings are everyday locations, predominantly urban
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
and always familiar, whether the apartment of La llamada de Lauren, the metro
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
of Solos esta noche or the park of La noche que ilumina. "Busco, generalmente, escenarios simples" ("I generally look for simple settings"), writes Pedrero, "me gusta la calle, los parques, los bares, los metros, las habitaciones del hotel, las estaciones... escenarios teatrales que no necesitan de grandes aparatos ni parafenalias" ("I like the street, parks, bars, the metro, hotel rooms, stations... dramatic settings that don't need complex apparatus or paraphernalia"). Though settings often have important symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
ic impact within each play (for instance, the enclosed, limited space of the apartment in La llamada de Lauren is starkly contrasted with the freedom of the carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
going on in the street outside) they are inevitably handled in a realist aesthetic.
Major works
- La llamada de Lauren (1984)
- Resguardo personal (1985)
- Invierno de luna alegre (1985)
- Besos de lobo (1986)
- El color de agosto (1987)
- Las fresas mágicas (1988)
- La isla amarilla (1988)
- Noches de amor efímero (1989)
- Una estrella (1990)
- De la noche al alba (1992)
- Aliento de equilibrista (1993)
- El pasamanos (1994)
- Locas de amar (1994)
- La noche que ilumina (1995)
- Cachorros de negro mirar (1995)